The Magic Of Festive Times
by sleepdreamer
Summary: What is it about the Christmas that changes Mr Carson and what does Mrs Hughes know about it? A late entry from the Chelsie Christmas exchange


Charles Carson looked around the library checking everything was in its place before he turned in for the night, there was something magical about the house in the early hours at Christmas when he and the housekeeper were the only ones still awake, the navy blue winter sky casting new shadows across the familiar room.

Even after all these years he still found the house surprising he moved silently in to the hall where the grand Christmas tree took pride of place every year,there was a buzz of excitement among the downstairs staff already even with two days to go,no doubt he would have to bring them to task about their giddiness over the big day and however hard he tried he never could reprimand them harshly thanks to her.

She would appear the moment he started to broach the subject and with one flash of her smile his brain and logic thought pattern would desert him as he was transported back to the moment when festive excitement led to the most pivotal moment of his life, the stern butler melting away like a seasonal snowflake and the reprimand would turn into a bumbling reminder about having duties and standards even at Christmas then he would make an excuse to leave the room.

His attempts to keep the staff in order at Christmas was very much a part of the associated traditions of the time of year. Those who had been employed for many years had enjoyed watching him falter and turn into a softie the closer Christmas day got.

New staff were told to watch out for the uncharacteristic change in the grand butler whilst being never given a reason by long standing staff for why it occurred, they had spent many Christmas' trying to discover the cause for the momentary change none had ever uncovered the truth and the ideas behind the cause would get more bizarre as the years passed yet they all felt that the ever present housekeeper was involved in some way.

He stopped abruptly at the sight of a new shadow on the hall carpet, despite the presence of the Christmas tree he saw dark patch instantly, smiling as his eyes spotted the cause of the shadow, sat cross legged on the floor, staring up at the tree whispering to the with teddy bear tucked under one arm was Miss Sybbie. He walked over carefully, so not to frighten her, and sat down beside her

'Could you not sleep Miss Sybbie? it's very early for you to be awake, I take it Nanny does not know you have left the nursery?'

Sybbie looked at the butler sat in the same manor as her self and smiled 'Teddy and I wanted to look at the tree without George and Marigold, Donk promised he would wake me after we had gone to sleep and would bring me down but I think he forgot' she sniffed

noticing the tear tracks he couldn't be cross with the small girl 'is that why you are sat here now?'

'I had a bad dream because I had yet to speak to the angel at the top of the tree, I want to give her a message to give to my mummy'

'So you came downstairs on your own in the dark?'

'Silly Carson' she giggled 'I've got Teddy so I wasn't alone and now you are sat with me'

Her response made him smile warmly 'why didn't you ask your Daddy to come with you?'

'I didn't want to make him cry, Donk said I could sit on his lap and tell the angel my message, sitting on his lap would help me be brave enough to say it, Teddy is helping but'

He saw more tears in her eyes 'perhaps I could be of assistance, would it help if you sat on my lap? you have already been very brave by coming down here, it would be a shame if that bravery did not last long enough'

Sybbie's eyes widened excitedly 'You would help me Carson?'

'Of course, I cannot let a young lady be unhappy at Christmas' he smiled as Sybbie jumped into his lap and made herself comfortable 'especially when it involves something of great importance, I am sure your mummy will be waiting for a message from you and it will make her very happy too, we can sit here all together until you've finished and happy'

Sybbie smiled, took a deep breath, looked up and began her speech

As her words flowed it was evident that she had rehearsed her words many times and he now understood why she had become so upset that the grandfather she idolized had not woken her up. Knowing Lord Grantham he would have gone to the nursery, saw the child asleep and didn't have the heart to wake her, unaware the upset that would cause, he was glad he had discovered the small child in the shadow of the tree, realising that even with no conscious memory of her mother, Miss Sybbie was exactly like her mother.

Carson broke out into a large grin as his mind remembered the night he found Lady Sybil Sat on Mrs Hughes' lap in front of the Christmas tree at a similar hour crying because Mary had told her that Father Christmas would no longer be leaving her any presents. He had been doing his last walk around when he heard her singing softly and was intrigued to why she was there, the way her soft Celtic tones had tugged at his heart confirmed that the choices they had made together over the years had always the right ones for them, that the moments of pain had been worth it

'What's making you smile?' Sybbie looked at him 'I have never seen your face look so happy, does Christmas time make you happy is that why you don't always smile like that?'

'It does young lady, I was remembering that when your mummy was not much older than you I found her curled up on Mrs Hughes' lap, your mummy was crying when Mrs Hughes found her so she sat here with her, sang carols until your mummy was happy again"

"I like Mrs Hughes, she's nice, do you think she's nice?'

'Indeed she is a very nice lady and yes I do think she is nice, now how about we get you back up to the nursery before Nanny notices and gets a shock' he raised his eyebrows which made her giggle 'and tomorrow I will sneak you a piece of shortbread from Mrs Hughes' tin'

'How do you know about the tin in her pantry? she told me it was a secret that only special people knew about it' She asked as they got up from the floor and he picked the sleepy child up who snuggled up to him, as they reached the top of the stairs he noticed she had drifted off to sleep

'There are several secrets I know about Mrs Hughes' he said with a smile

"Mr Carson where have you been?" she asked with a sleepy smile as she leaned against the door frame of his parlour 'You had better have a good excuse for leaving me down here waiting for you"

'I was rescuing a young damsel in distress'

'Charles Carson you absolute cad, is this your way of telling me that the line a certain first footman used on a head house maid was a lie'

'Your memory serves you well that was not a line that had never been nor has been said to anyone else since that wonderful day. The damsel I've been with was Miss Sybbie, I found her at the bottom of the Christmas tree so I kept her company, which in turn gave me a wonderful memory of hearing a beautiful Scottish songbird singing a distressed child back to sleep'

She blushed at his words 'I could not leave Lady Sybil all alone sobbing her heart out because her oldest sister had shattered the childhood magic of Christmas'

"likewise, I could not leave her daughter alone'

'You both looked comfy sat on the food's

'Where you spying on us Mrs Hughes' he smiled as he took her hand

'I had come up to surprise you, but I came through the doorway just as Miss Sybbie climbed onto your lap, I didn't want to intrude so I slipped back downstairs"

'You should have made yourself known, she would not have minded, in fact she thinks you are nice'

'and how did I come up in conversation?'

'She caught me off guard, apparently getting lost in my memories made me look happier than she had ever seen me look and she wondered what had made me smile so I told her about the night I found you and her mother'

'Exactly which details of that night did you tell her?'

'That I found you both under the tree and agreed that you were a nice person's

'Correct answer' she smiled lovingly

'although it was the memory of what happened afterwards that made me smile'

'You mean after carrying her mother to bed you used the magic of Christmas to seduce the housekeeper under the tree?' she teased

'That is not how I remember it my love, it's a memory that's on my mind like it was yesterday, I remember sitting on the floor with a beautiful woman in my arms, we sat there in the darkness in each other's arms talking and sharing kisses, remembering the past'

'I must be get my memories muddled, it wasn't the butler who seduced the housekeeper under the Christmas tree it happened many years before that when a nervous footman seduced a lady's maid under the Christmas tree by asking her to marry him'

'Indeed it was and it will always be why this man turns into a fool at this time of year, the only problem is I can't seem to recall what happened directly after he asked he'd

'Do you need help with that memory' she asked as she pulled him closer and kissed him intensely

'there is only one other memory that my brain holds so securely as that one'

'Which is?'

'The following Christmas was even better'

'It certainly was, I agree with you on that'

'Happy Anniversary Mrs Carson, where you planning on stealing a kiss by the tree early' he knew his wife so well and the smile she gave confirmed he was right

'Happy Anniversary my darling, indeed I was, anyway it's getting late and there's nothing festive about a tired grumpy butler on Christmas eve, time for bed'

'Indeed you are right my dear, as ever' he laughed 'Only there is something I forgot to do in the hall'

'will it keep till tomorrow Charles?'

'no my dear it will not keep as I'm not prepared to wait for another year to pass till I get to kiss my wife under the tree, granted the magic of Christmas would never be lost on them both.


End file.
